Short programmes in dishwashers as an energy-efficient alternative to auto cycles

Extended abstract 8-232-26

Over the past decade, European ecodesign and energy labelling regulations, now being integrated into the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) framework, have significantly influenced dishwasher design and consumer usage patterns. These rules require that energy performance testing be conducted using the Eco programme, while also specifying minimum cleaning and drying levels to be achieved with a standard detergent. In addition, the Eco programme must be set as the default option on the user interface. As a result, its usage has increased to 27%, according to the ESPR Preparatory Study for Household Dishwashers, which cites survey data from APPLiA, the European trade association for home appliance manufacturers.  This means that 73% of consumers do not use the Eco cycle, most of which (except certain short programmes) consume significantly more energy. Increasing the use of short cycles, that provide more convenience than the Eco cycle, is in theory a viable option to further improve the ecological footprint of automatic dishwashing.

We tested multiple short cycles across different dishwasher brands and detergents (including multifunctional pouches from leading brands, hard-pressed tablets from private labels) for cleaning and drying performance at an independent test institute. We followed both the EN60436 standard for household dishwashers with oven dried stains, and an adapted version using air dried stains as per IEC60436. 

The tested short programmes are very different in wash temperature, number of rinses, drying time, filter cleaning, etc., and thus resulted in a broad range of cleaning and drying performances across machines.  One short cycle was able to deliver comparable cleaning performance to that of the reference machine, both with multifunctional pouches and private label hard pressed tablets. However, even in this cycle, drying performance was lower than the reference machine. Consumer surveys suggest that the time gained from using a short cycle outweighs the impact of slightly lower drying performance. 

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